Natural Mommie / Home

I spend my days trying to capture the dragonflies fluttering around my kitchen with a mason jar, making sure little green inch worms in the bug container have a good supply of green leaves and say things like “yay! it’s so wonderful you found him!!!” about creepy black beetles and crunchy, dried up worms in my two year old’s sticky hands.

And currently? I’m wondering where that gigantic grasshopper is hiding in the living room after telling the boys to keep the lid closed a million and five times. When Aidan finds him, he’ll have no problem picking him up and gently putting him back in his new home. That same gentleness shows up when he walks up to a flower and carefully pets a furry bumble bee with his pointer finger without getting stung.

This is the stuff that little boys adore, so as a mom of boys, this is what I do.

My body is still covered in goosebumps after a 2″ long grasshopper flew into my neck and scurried down my shirt, but after a few arm flails I got over it and quickly (and okay, there was a little bit of dry heaving involved) managed to get him into the bug container.

The morning sun and bug catching always makes for a great start to the day.

I'm Amanda. I started Natural Mommie in 2009 and have been turning mommies from eco-weak to eco-chic ever since! Having an intense addiction to sparkly pink strawberry flavored lipgloss and never claiming to be perfectly green I vowed to not give up my hip mama self once I became a mom and wanted to bring a little more organic into my life. My closet still isn’t full of organic cotton and bamboo, but it’s getting there!

I knew stretch marks were a given when I gained a ton of weight during both my pregnancies. What I didn’t know was that they show in places I never would have thought possible. Like my calves. And the backs of my thighs. Add together stretch marks, probably too much sun this summer, and a little thing creeping in known as *cough* my 30′s….my skin is taking on a whole new look on its own.

In attempts to slow the process down I regularly exfoliate all over, I’m tyring to drink more water, I’m eating healthy and sneaking in some exercise here and there, buuuuut Prtty Peaushun is what’s really making a difference. Not only has the feel of my skin improved…it’s actually looking better. I even got the “your legs feel really really soft” from hubs when out to dinner the other night. *woo*!

So what is it? Prtty Peaushun, created by a celebrity makeup artist, is a glowy, creamy sort of tinted moisturizer/ super luxe body oil. It’s made of golden, light reflecting minerals with a rich emollient base of avocado oil, avocado butter, jojoba, calendula and glycerin. It’s not a self-tanner, contains no dyes, no parabens and is natural and vegan. The infusion of natural plant extracts works to lift, firm, tighten and even diminishes the appearance of cellulite, stretch marks and varicose veins.

I went with the medium shade since I’m very tanned and it’s a perfect shade for my skintone. I simply apply it like a regular moisturizer (it feels amazing on my legs after shaving) and I don’t have to worry about any streakiness, orange tones or stinky fake tan smell. It blends away discolorations, irritations and it’s surprisingly soothing on all of my mosquito bites I’ve accumulated over the past few weeks! Prtty Peaushun also has a natural grapefruit scent (love!!) and leaves my skin feeling amazingly moisturized and smooth. The lotion spreads really nicely AND you can squeeze out every last drop thanks to the squeezable, lightweight packaging.

Body – use alone on the body. Sensitive skin responds very well. Use after applying sunblock (allow sunblock to penetrate/soak in first) Mix shades together. Apply Plain over a shade to add an extra punch to your glow. Looks beautiful over a real tan or spray tan.

Face – use alone on the face. Use under foundation & other makeup. Mix any of the 5 shades with foundation and apply. (Mixes well with all foundations to create a glowing tinted moisturizer.) Mix shades together.

Seems like the past week (month, even) has been focused on finishing up all the things on the to-do list. The basement is being finished, rooms are being ripped apart and re-organized, unpacked boxes from a year ago are being sifted through…and now with the new school right around the corner, I’ve been ridiculously preoccupied with making sure everything is in order for the fall. My closet, the boys room, the play room – even all the old furniture that’s been sitting in the garage is getting stripped down and re-done. In between the DIY projects, the spray parks, the outdoor pool and summer naps here are a few more things making me smile:

Summer berries on the counter (the fruit flies, notsomuch but more on this coming up).

A delicate robin’s nest that has made its home on our fireplace mantle that I can’t let go of.

I'm Amanda. I started Natural Mommie in 2009 and have been turning mommies from eco-weak to eco-chic ever since! Having an intense addiction to sparkly pink strawberry flavored lipgloss and never claiming to be perfectly green I vowed to not give up my hip mama self once I became a mom and wanted to bring a little more organic into my life. My closet still isn’t full of organic cotton and bamboo, but it’s getting there!

My husband shakes his head when I bring home another grungy old lamp, but how can I not when repainting a lamp is sooo easy! You’ve all seen these ones right? They’re everywhere…grandma’s house, the goodwill, value village, garage sales..that iconic dusty rose and brass lamp. It’s not the prettiest to start with but she’s got good curves so it’s easy to bring her back to life with some glossy spray paint.

Wiped it down…

added 2 coats of spray paint…

and done!

I love the glossy white Rustoleum primer + paint in 1 since you don’t have to worry about doing a separate primer coat first. The easier the better ;)

It never ceases to amaze me when I see what my children can come up with on their own. Several weeks ago I brought in a piece of wood that was leftover from a project and plopped down a mason jar full of crayons. Immediately it was dumped and they got straight to work creating, decorating and beautifying a splintery old piece of scrap wood. Suddenly (after tripping over their feet to run upstairs to “grab som-fin”) it was transformed into the most colorful animal “ski hill” you ever did see. Then it morphed into an animal bridge, then a highway with a bumper to bumper traffic jam.

I think if you give any little boy or girl the chance to paint, build, bake or do anything hands on they’d pick any of those over sitting in front of the TV or playing a game/app on the ipad. Play is just a part of them.

It is in playing, and only in PLAYING, that the child is able to be CREATIVE and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the child DISCOVERS the self.

This is why my hands, clothes and rubber boots often look the same as my boys. We’re serious about our playtime and have the best days when mama is “on” and 100% involved and excited to play, bake, color, build, run, explore…..

Energizer is encouraging creative play and offering an incredible Crayola facebook contest that gives you the opportunity to win Crayola prizes every hour through to October 1st! Moms all over Canada are winning more and getting extra entries to win! PINs gets each user one bonus entry every time they play AND you may enter once per hour and use multiple PINs for additional bonuses!!

There’s no shortage of fun activities and events for children when you live in the city. Seems like every single weekend we stumble across a mini (or makeshift!) fair complete with bright lights, bouncy houses and face painting. It’s the sounds, the smells, the sunshine and the “feel” of summer fairs that bring back that nostalgia and seeing my children enjoy those same things I did as a child is completely nostalgic. There’s something so magical about seeing my children’s eyes light up when they win a tiny toy at he fishing game or when they get their very own little treat at the food stand.

This is our first summer as “Edmontonians” and we’re soaking it all in and creating tons of wonderful memories for our children. We’ve especially been looking forward to the “real” fair, Capital Ex. We’ll head to the Family Fun Town at Hall C at the Edmonton Expo Center and likely spend our day there. There’s a “farm” where little ones can pretend to be a farmer for the day and learn all about agriculture, then they can head to the Construction Zone and create life sized structures with blocks, there’s an inflatable rain forest, live shows with Fred Penner, meet and greets with Caillou, Angelina Ballerina, Strawberry Shortcake and so. much. more!

I was invited to take part in some of the family fun media events taking place at Capital Ex this year so make sure you keep up with my boys and I on twitter @naturalmommie with the hashtag #capex12. There will be tons of pics on my instagram (naturalmommie) as well .

Summer is turning into a bit of a blur with all the weekend getaways and long road trips we’ve been going on. Lots of action, adventures and fun with friends and family which means the quiet time is harder to come by! When it does though, you’ll see this one above plopped on the couch or on a blanket on the floor with either an iPhone or an iPad playing his favorite games and watching cartoons. It still amazes me how well he and my 2 year old can navigate these things like they do!

Disney Junior has really fun education apps that I linked to here but if we’re being honest what I’m really after is the free time to get stuff done while they’re occupied. I can usually squeeze about an hour and though it never feels like enough it certainly helps! My boys are always a little more chill too once they’ve had time to unwind and relax their bodies…just like we do after we veg and watch a favorite show or two.

So what’s going on with Disney Junior over the summer? The Disney Junior website is still being updated with the new content (see the summer schedule here) and your little ones can visit the summer supersite for new games each week!

More summer fun with Disney:

Every Monday this July and August at 5:35 p.m ET, Disney Junior is saying ‘Ahoy!’ to summer with new episodes of your little ones’ favourite series followed by a movie or special presentation! Hooray!

Wake up with Disney Junior and morning marathons all summer long! Disney Junior will feature marathons of kids’ favourite series as follows:

Mondays: Jake and the Neverland Pirates

Tuesdays: Doc McStuffins

Wednesdays: Special Agent Oso

Thursdays: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Fridays: Tickety Toc

Disclosure: I’m part of the Disney Junior Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Each season The Healthy Shopper releases it’s must have products to add to your shopping list and this time around they’ve included the products below that I’ve had the opportunity to review. The picks turned out to be a fantastic line up of products and definitely ones that will help your family live a healthier life while keeping it easy on the environment. Some I’ve been a fan of for years and others were a new experience. Do you use any of these already?

Natracare tampons are made from only certified organic 100% cotton and are the only fully certified organic cotton tampons available in the world today. They are non-chlorine bleached and do not contain synthetic materials, such as rayon, or chemical additives such as binders or surfactants. I’ve tried just about every option (including the cups, sponges, natural pads & tampons, etc.) but always go back to the “name brands” for no reason other than it’s what I’m used too. But since trying Natracare I’ve decided to switch to the brand for good now. The products aren’t fancied up in neon packaging or turn into crazy shapes when you use them, they’re just classically and simply designed to do the job. Make use of your healthy shopper coupons to save a bit of money because the price point is a tad higher.

These 100% organic fruit juices and iced teas have been equally enjoyed by everyone in our house! I’ve always had a really difficult time finding premade popsicles for my boys that don’t have a ton of sugar or color added to them and finally accepted that making my own is the only option. Kiju juice (specifically the lemonade!) is the perfect treat. Add in some sliced fruit to the popsicle mold or paper cup before pouring in the juice and your kids will think you’re supermom :)

A line of buttery spreads, sticks, shortening, a soy-free spread and coconut spread. Earth Balance makes the switch to healthy alternatives a little less daunting. Their products are 100% plant-based, vegan, non-GMO, lactose-free, gluten-free, egg-free, casein-free, have 0g of trans fat but really do taste delicious! My boys (and me too!) love the coconut spread on toast with cinnamon. Earth Balance has a fantastic blog with tons of fresh, healthy recipes so make sure you check them out here.

Plant and mineral based cleaning products that really work. No but really. I was surprised to see my dishes come out crystal clear after using the Ecover dishwashing tablets. Keep in mind though, that we have city water, so if you have hard water and still want to be able to use safe alternatives try using Ecover with a bit of lemi-shine in the pre-wash. It’ll help you avoid this :)

I’ve been using the Simply Natural Certified organic pasta sauces for a long time. Their organic Marinara and Tomato & Basil pasta sauces are my favorites and both delicious for homemade pizza sauce or as a dipping sauce for garlic fingers. I also use them for lasagna, add them to my spaghetti sauce and never have any complaints. This brand has been a longtime staple in my pantry. And thanks to Simply Natural for using glass jars…they’re excellent for storing craft supplies!

Just because Earth Day has passed, doesn’t mean that we should stop thinking about ways we can incorporate sustainable actions into our lives. Often times, mamas find it challenging to make the right choices for a variety of reasons, so here are 5 Earth Day Canada Approved Tips, that are really easy to do and don’t require any sacrifices!

1. The Daily Commute Alternative– Reduce the use of your car—take public transit, walk, bike or carpool. For the young ones, start a “walking school bus” with other kids in your area for getting to and from school.

2. Friendly Fridge - Make your fridge more efficient by filling empty space with reusable water bottles. You can even use personalized water bottles to make it more fun for the kids to help you fill them at the end of each day and stock the fridge.

3. Local, Local, Local - Support your local farmers’ market or plant your own garden. Kids LOVE gardening and eating the fruits (or vegetables) of their labour.

4. Kinder Paper Products- Use paper and tissue products that are 100% recycled. Save the rolls to use for a family art project. Rolls make fabulous shakers and musical instruments and you can even turn them into little creatures like caterpillars! Visit EnviroCare for details on 100% recycled tissue products that are just as soft and don’t cost any more!

5. Cleaning Alternatives - Choose natural, non-toxic cleaning products like vinegar, baking soda and water. Use baking soda to clean the kids’ toys. For little ones, you’ll feel comfortable knowing there is nothing toxic on their hands when their fingers go right back in their mouths after they help clean the toys.

When it comes to the environment, it’s so important to raise awareness about all the small changes everyone can make within their households, without making huge sacrifices in their lives. We all know that it starts with a little education, so the EnviroCare Facebook page has taken the time to put together a game called EnviroWheel, that is not only fun, but actually teaches people about sustainability!

The EnviroWheel game is a Wheel-of-Fortune inspired game that gives players clues to solve a frenzy of puzzles, all while learning how they can make a change at home and in their community, by learning how recycled household paper products can positively impact the environment. Players are also able to accumulate points and compete for the top spots on the EnviroWheel leadership board, collect coupons, and even have a chance to win $5,000 to donate towards an environmental charity of their choice! To learn more about sustainability, play the EnviroWheel game on Facebook for a chance to win coupons. The EnviroWheel closes July 18th!

- Spin the EnviroWheel on facebook!- Like Natural Mommie on facebook- Share Natural Mommie with your friends on facebook {link on left side of facebook page}- Click share on the facebook post to share with friends or on your wall- Subscribe via email {2 steps! You must confirm your subscription!}- Subscribe via reader- Leave a comment on a non-giveaway post- Blog about this giveaway and leave me the link- Follow @naturalmommie on twitter and ReTweet this giveaway {can be retweeted daily leave me the links} #Giveaway fr EnviroCare via @naturalmommie & spin the #envirowheel for coupons & chance to donate $5K to #eco charity! http://naturalmommie.com/?p=11545

Closes July 31st at 8pm MST. Open to Canada. Please leave a separate comment for each entry and leave your first name & last initial with your facebook entry comment.

EnviroCare™ is Canada’s first line of premium tissue products made from 100% recycled fibre. With these ‘green’ products you don’t have to compromise on quality, performance or softness while doing something good for the environment. And, you don’t have to pay more! The EnviroCare™ line consists of Purex® EnviroCare™ bathroom tissue, SpongeTowels® EnviroCare™ paper towels, and Scotties® EnviroCare™ facial tissue. The EnviroCare™ line-up is committed to sustainable forestry, which is demonstrated through Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®) certification by the Rainforest Alliance, and through EcoLogo certification. When you see the FSC tree on packaging, you can feel good about your purchase because you know that these products were sourced and made according to strict environmental, social and economic standards set through FSC. EcoLogo certification is also North America’s most widely recognized third party environmental standards authority. Just look for these logos and know you’re making a good decision for your family and the environment.